Jeff%2520Ellis Archive

Back in December the IBI's Jeff Ellis made a comparison between Asdrubal Cabrera and former Tribe fan favorite Carlos Baerga. He saw some concerning things with Cabrera going into his age 27 season that were similar to Carlos Baerga when his career flatlined in his age 27 season. He revisits the comparison and shows how similar the fade for both has been, the differences in their struggles, and if there is any hope for a rebound for Cabrera.

Next up in the three year review series are the starting pitchers. The IBI's Jeff Ellis handled this group on the whole and used some advanced stats to try and show how things have changed for the Indians than in previous years. At the start of the year he felt this was a weak link unit for the Indians and they would ultimately fail because of it, but their showing to date is impressive and bodes well for the future.

The last position for the three year review is centerfield. This was the hardest position to look at for Jeff Ellis because it was supposed to have been set with Grady Sizemore. The Indians signed Michael Bourn in the offseason to seemingly lock up the position for years, but he says the Indians have actually seen a decrease in performance at the position this season.

There are only two positions left for this series, and it’s been a tight race to see if this offense has improved over the last two years. For all the money invested it has not been a slam dunk improvement. This has been due in part to early season injuries which seemed to short circuit both Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher to varying degrees. In today's piece the IBI's Jeff Ellis takes a look at the right fielders for the Indians over the last three years and determines if they have improved or regressed at the position this season.

The next position to tackle in this series is that of left field. It is a position that bottomed out last year for the Indians and is now home to the one and only Dr. Smooth. Is he the answer this team needs or should they be looking to upgrade left field? The IBI's Jeff Ellis breaks it down to determine whether the Indians should stand pat or look to improve this position going forward.

During this week's special afternoon edition, Andrew and Jeff will discuss whether now is the time to hit the panic button with the Cleveland Indians. Can they still contend? Why is Asdrubal Cabrera still hitting cleanup? Does Terry Francona leave his pitchers in too long? They'll also talk some NFL football. Is it worth watching pre-season games? Should there be any reason to be concerned about Trent Richardson? What should we expect from the Cleveland Browns this season? All that and more on this week's edition of The Inside Pitch!

The next position to tackle in this series is that of designated hitter. This position has been surprisingly ineffective for the Indians over the past few years thanks to a mix of injuries and just plain lack of production. The major difference for this position is that we can look at it purely through the offensive prism as defense just doesn't matter, and the IBI's Jeff Ellis breaks it down to determine whether the Indians have improved or gotten worse at the position this season.

To Cleveland sports writers, Marc Rzepczynski might be the worst addition ever. The man otherwise known as Scrabble because of his tough name to spell and pronounce was dealt to the Indians on Tuesday, and the IBI's Jeff Ellis provides some flash analysis and thoughts on the Indians trade deadline pickup.

In his fifth part of this series, the IBI's Jeff Ellis takes a look at the Indians catching position over the past three years and shows how productive the position has been for them and how it has significantly improved this season. He also sheds light on what a crazy talent Carlos Santana has become and how he is no doubt a top five player at his position.

In his fourth part in this series, the IBI's Jeff Ellis delves into third base to finish off the infield and looks at whether the Indians have improved at the position this season. This is a position that has been in flux since Casey Blake was traded in July of 2008 as the Indians have tired vets like Jack Hannahan and top prospects like Andy Marte and Lonnie Chisenhall, but have struggled to find consistency and a long term solution.

In his third part of this series, the IBI's Jeff Ellis takes a look at the shortstop position for the Indians over the past three seasons. The first two positions he looked at were first base and second base and the Indians have seen significant improvement at both, and this time he reviews the shortstop position which is the only position which has stayed consistent over the last few years for the Indians.

We kicked off this series with a review of first base, so it seems like second base is the natural progression across the diamond. This is an interesting look, mostly because it features the player who has inarguably been the Indians best hitter this season. The IBI's Jeff Ellis breaks down the numbers as he continues to assess whether this team is truly different from teams over the past few seasons.

The Indians currently have a problem with perception and whether or not they are truly a different team and are improved from season's past. The IBI's Jeff Ellis looks to prove that this Indians team is indeed much different and improved, and in this first piece of the series he takes a look at the first basemen over the last three seasons and shows the improvement.

The competitive balance lottery happened on Wednesday to no fanfare at all, but Indians fans should really be happy about it and need to know about it. The reason is simple: this pick becomes a big trade asset for the Indians. It could be the centerpiece in a trade, especially if it's for pen help. The IBI's Jeff Ellis explains the value of the pick and how fortunate the Indians were to get it.

Join the IBI's Jeff Ellis and Andrew Zajac tonight from 8:00 to 9:00 PM for another edition of The Inside Pitch.
Tonight's episode will be devoted to the Indians, and the big preformance today of Danny Salazar. They will talk about trade targets for the Indians, and should they buy or sell this deadline. They will discuss the Cavs and the big signings of the past week with Clark, Jack, and of...

The 2013 Draft is long over now, and most players who are going to sign have done so. This year, IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis thought it might be fun to cap off the draft coverage here at the IBI with an Indians shadow draft. A shadow draft is exactly what you think it is: Jeff gets to put on my GM cap and make every single pick. Take a look at who he picks and compare his picks to what the Indians did.

About a week after the draft, the IBI's Jeff Ellis was able to do an interview with former Buckeye and now Chicago White Sox minor league pitcher Bradley Goldberg. Here is their entire conversation transcribed and it provides a chance to get some insights on the draft process and the Ohio State baseball program.

Every year after the draft IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis does a tools piece, and every year it doesn't really generate much interest. As a writer it seemed time for him to change it up a bit and shake up how he goes about this article. He wanted to make it more fun and give some awards and predictions, and he shares all of that in his latest.

The draft has come and gone, and now it is time for IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis to post his annual post-draft review. It was a very interesting draft and as always had a lot of trends that he found while following it. He touches on the Frazier pick and why the negatives on him are a bit overstated right now, the Indians approach in the draft with selecting several smaller sized players, and their "safe" approach with their bonus pool to maybe save money to strike and sign later round guys.

It is draft day and IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis has his final mock, this time going out through the first 111 picks! He not only predicts who the Indians select at #5 overall, but who they take in the third and fourth round as well. As with any mock, these are more for just a guideline on where players may be picked and not necessarily by who, but Jeff has done the research and knows the draft better than anyone not affiliated with an MLB team. Take a look and enjoy!

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!